Important Notice

The horse was a lifelong muse for M F Husain, one that captured his artistic imagination early in his childhood in Indore. He was moved by the elegance and grace of the tonga horses of the Holkar king’s cavalry, which he often saw as a young boy on visits accompanying his grandfather to the local farrier. Another significant influence was the Duldul, a representation of Imam Hussain’s horse carried during Muharram processions, which... The horse was a lifelong muse for M F Husain, one that captured his artistic imagination early in his childhood in Indore. He was moved by the elegance and grace of the tonga horses of the Holkar king’s cavalry, which he often saw as a young boy on visits accompanying his grandfather to the local farrier. Another significant influence was the Duldul, a representation of Imam Hussain’s horse carried during Muharram processions, which ingrained itself in his memory and later inspired his portrayals of horses in his art. As he began travelling across India at the start of his career, he further imbibed influences from the country’s diverse artistic and cultural traditions, including the Bankura horse of West Bengal, the horses pulling the chariot of the Sun God at the Konark temple in Odisha, and the Ashwamedha, the legendary stallion from the Mahabharata.

By removing the horse from its traditional context and reinterpreting it through his own modernist lens, the artist transformed the animal into both a universal and personal form of expression, symbolising values of power, grace, and freedom. Shiv Kapur writes, “Husain’s horses are subterranean creatures. Their nature is not intellectualized: it is rendered as sensation or as abstract movement, with a capacity to stir up vague premonitions and passions, in a mixture of ritualistic fear and exultant anguish.” (Shiv S Kapur, Husain, Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1972, p. 43)

Husain imbued his horses with a renewed sense of vitality and elegance in the years following his visit to China in 1952. The passion that is considered quintessential to his equine subjects was deeply influenced by his encounter with Chinese artist Xu Beihong’s monumental painting of a thousand horses in motion, galloping, rearing, and snorting. His own horses became similarly dynamic-“rampant or galloping; the manes, the fury, the working buttocks, the prancing legs, and the strong neighing heads with dilated nostrils are blocks of colour which are vivid or tactile or are propelled in their significant progression by strokes of the brush or sweeps of the palette knife. The activity depicted is transformed in the activity of paint... When we look at these creatures we must remember that the animal is not the subject of Husain’s painting; it is the daemonic principle that he depicts, and to him it is neither good nor bad... the horses... have become symbols of power and pursuit, or of mysterious encounters.” (Richard Bartholomew, Husain, Richard Bartholomew and Shiv S Kapur, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1972, p. 20)

In the present lot, which was likely painted circa 1968, the horse seems poised to charge out of the confines of the canvas, tapping into a deep, restless energy that was only hinted at in previous works. Husain delineates its form in thick impasto fractured by confident lines, a technique he adapted from Chinese painting traditions. He superimposes it with a prana mudra, a gesture used in traditional Indian dance and to focus one’s energy while meditating. Associated with enhancing the flow of energy within the body and improving vitality, the prana mudra draws its name from the Sanskrit word prana, meaning breath or life force. The gesture also recalls a salute, alluding to the creature’s sense of loyalty and fealty. This sentiment is especially significant considering the work was painted in the years following India’s independence when the country was in the throes of building a new identity for itself separate from colonial rule. The symbol later makes an appearance in Lightning, a mural-sized painting that Husain made in 1975 which depicts his idea of a rising nation with references to the construction of an India poised to become a global power in its own right; its agrarian roots; industrial and scientific developments; and its increasing military prowess. This symbolism beautifully resonates with Husain’s representations of horses, emphasising their immense power and spirit and the several varied meanings they held in his mind.

In the words of Rashda Siddiqui, a close friend of the artist, “Husain’s painted horses do not just bear majestic stateliness and striking beauty but also come alive in every mood, situation and form. Their forceful movement conveys so much that it carries us away with it.” (Rashda Siddiqui, In Conversation with Husain Paintings, New Delhi: Books Today, 2001, p. 112)

FORMERLY IN THE COLLECTION OF DR RAFIQ AND FATMA ZAKARIA

The present lot was acquired by Dr Rafiq and Fatma Zakaria from Husain in 1968 and later passed down to their son Mansoor Zakaria, having held pride of place above their dining table for many years. Dr Zakaria was a distinguished political leader, cabinet minister, scholar, and writer, and co-founder of several educational institutes in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Fatma Zakaria, an accomplished journalist, worked with The Illustrated Weekly alongside Khushwant Singh, was editor of The Sunday Times of India, and later became editor of the Taj Magazine, a quarterly publication by the Taj Group of Hotels. She also worked extensively in education, for which she was awarded a Padma Shri in 2006.

The Zakarias cultivated a vibrant artistic and intellectual environment and deeply engaged with India’s cultural landscape. Dr Zakaria, a keen lover of Urdu poetry, would often host mehfil performances at his home, which Husain-an occasional writer and poet himself-would attend. The couple was captivated by the artist’s distinctive, iconoclastic persona and developed a personal friendship with him. This connection extended to their families: Husain’s daughter Raisa and the Zakarias’ daughter, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, became close friends while the latter was studying at the J J School of Art in Mumbai, a bond that endures to this day.

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